Crimson Eyes- A FairyTail Fanfic
by iEliteRoyale
Summary: Another day, another mission. At least that's what Team Natsu thought. The team went on a mission to defeat a dark guild, but it wasn't until Natsu was stabbed with a dagger when everything started to go downhill. What were that dark guild's motives? How much time does Natsu have left, before darkness falls?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This story is my first fanfiction, so I decided to put it onto my account. I have it on Wattpad, but I realized that it's kinda hard for people to see my work there. So, I hope that more people would notice it here, and I really hope that you enjoy it! If you like this story and you want me to continue it, then please let me know in the comments!**

 **3rd Person**

The blazing hot sun rose upon another summer morning. Natsu's favorite time of the year has come once again, and he has never been in a greater mood.

"C'mon, Happy! I'm hungry! Let's go to the guild!" Natsu exclaimed, jumping off his hammock and putting on his sandals.

Happy bolted towards him, easily rubbing off his good mood. "Aye, sir!"

The two of them took off, running through the heart of Magnolia and dodging past the people in the busy street. Once they arrived at the guild, they were greeted by many familiar faces. Happy flew to Lucy and the others while Natsu walked up to the bar and sat on a chair. "Hey, Mirajane! Can I get some breakfast?"

Mirajane looked up from wiping down her counter. "Good morning, Natsu! You're sure in a good mood. I'll fix you something to eat."

Gray stormed in and slammed his fist on the counter in front of Natsu. "Hey! I know it was you who melted that ice sculpture I made!"

Natsu shot up, nearly knocking his chair backward. "So! It was ugly anyway." He taunted, smirking. Curious guild members turned their heads, excited to see another fight take place.

"Ooo, you are just asking for a fight, aren't cha, flame-brain?"

"Come at me, ice princess!"

The two bud heads together, bickering insults at each other. Then one threw a cup, missed its target, landed on a bystander, and you know the rest.

Lucy patiently waited for Erza to come and break up the fight as she chatted with Levy and Happy. As if on cue, Erza walked into the guildhall and went to the bar for a strawberry cake. However, two boys were in her way from getting to her prized possession, and that annoyed her. A dark aurora formed around her. "Natsu? Gray? Are you two fighting?!"

Immediately realizing that they were in danger, Natsu and Gray hugged each other in order to mask their quarrel. "Of course not! We are best buddies!" They chirped in unison.

"Great. Now step out of my way so I can get myself a strawberry cake."

Lucy stood up from her table and walked to the request board, eager to find a mission for team Natsu to do. She really needed the money right now, especially since she's been using it on Natsu for food. Natsu sat down next to Erza, chomping down the breakfast Mirajane gave him. Gray, on the other hand, walked next to Lucy to help her look for a mission. Once he approached her, a page caught his eye. "Hmm..." He said, picking up the paper and examining it. This caught Lucy's attention. She leaned over to see. "What is it?"

"It's a request to stop a dark guild in a small village."

"What's so special about that?"

"Well, it's only asking for 'the salamander'. Why do they just want Natsu?"

"Hmm... that's interesting. I'll let him know." Lucy turned around and yelled at Natsu. "Hey! Natsu! There is a request for you!" Her statement caught some attention- after all, there are never requests for Natsu alone. Natsu turns around, with a smile beaming on his face. He ran to the request board and snatched the paper from Gray.

"For me?" He asked.

"Yup," Lucy replied. "Do you know this guild?" Lucy pointed at the name, Wolf fangs, on the paper.

"Nope! Never heard of them!" Natsu said as he continued to scan the paper. "Hey, 8,000,000 jewels! That'll definitely pay Luce's rent!" Lucy's eyes widened. "8,000,000 jewels!? That's a pretty high price just to catch some dark guild!"

Erza arrived into the conversation and took the paper from Natsu. "This is a very suspicious request for an awfully high price. Let us accompany you on this journey, Natsu."

"Sure! I'll go pack my bags! Let's meet at the train station in an hour!" Natsu said, and he and happy ran out to get ready.

"Well, someone's excited to go on a mission." Gray stated, watching them run out of the guild.

"You should be too! This is a lot of money we are gonna get! But still, I just can't help but feel a little sketchy about this." Lucy replied.

"Have no fear, we will be there with him," Erza assured. "Now get ready for the train, it might be a long ride."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! As we can see, my chapters are pretty short... I personally hate short chapters myself, so expect to see my newest stories to be much longer! (and yes, they will be coming out soon) Also, this story will have different perspectives throughout the chapters, just so you could get an insight into what's going on in our favorite character's heads. Welp, here's the next chapter!**

 **Natsu**

"4 Hours!? How am I suppose to survive a 4-hour train ride?" I wailed, dragging myself up the train.

"Suck it up, flame-brain. You've done it plenty of times before." Gray took a seat with Erza following afterward, and then me, Lucy, and Happy on the other side. I was about to shoot back an insult but the train had started. "Why you- mmpf-" My breakfast threatened to come back up. I hate my motion sickness.

"Ah, you can't even come up with an insult? Now that's pretty sad." He teased.

Feeling helpless, I laid my head on Lucy's lap. "Mehhhhh. Lucy helpppp meeee."

Lucy placed a hand on my head and curled my hair. "Don't worry, Natsu. We only have 4 hours and 7 minutes left."

"Nughhhh" I complained, hoping for the darkness of sleep to blanket my nausea.

4 hours and 7 minutes later, the train arrives at our destination just in time.

I crawled out of the train and kissed the ground. "I love you! I love you! I love you!" I repeated nonstop. Gray rolled his eyes and Lucy shook her head in embarrassment.

"Let's go. We still have a half hour walk." Erza demanded, and within a few minutes, we were all ready to travel. Happy landed on my head and asked, "Why do you think that this request was specifically for you?"

I shrugged, not even attempting to show any thought into his question. "Don't know and don't care. They probably just needed a brave and strong mage to do the work, so they chose me!" I chuckled at my logic, while the rest sweatdropped. "Whatever you say, Natsu." Happy said, allowing me to take this feeling of confidence.

"It's a shame Wendy didn't come along. She could've been a lot of help." Lucy said, gazing at the clouds.

Gray added on, "Well, she is preparing to go on another mission with Clara and Romeo, so she will be fine."

"Uhh Gray, your clothes." Happy mentioned.

Gray looked down and saw his shirt missing. "Ah! Why does this always happen!?"

We finally arrived at the village, and it was not what I expected.

Fire was everywhere, mothers were holding their children and running inside. Men were fighting the Wolf Fang members in order to protect their families. My team and I ran straight into action.

"Open the Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" Lucy pulled out one of her keys and called for Virgo. She appeared out of thin air, wearing her usual maid uniform and broken handcuffs.

"Did you call, Princess?" Virgo asked, with a polite bow.

"Virgo! Take these villagers to safety! I'll handle the dark guild!" Lucy barked.

"Of course! I'm right on it!" And with that, Virgo ran to the people and conducted her instructions.

Gray, Erza, and I were fighting the dark guild members. "Fire Dragon Roar!" I yelled, aiming at a group of fighters. The flames torched them, and they all frantically searched for a place to cool down.

"You look a little torched! Here, let me cool you down!" Gray said, smoothly taking advantage of their conditions to use his pun.

"Ice-make: Lance!" Gray yelled, sending shards of ice towards our opponents. Right after, Erza transformed into her heaven wheels armor and did a move on the next batch of members she saw. "There are too many of them! We will have to split up! Meet back here once everyone is defeated!"

"Aye, sir!" We all yelled, running off in different ways.

 **3rd Person**

***The day before****

"Hey master, are you sure that he won't find nothing about this suspicious? I mean, that is a lot of money we put on the request." A young man with dark skin was staring at a flyer. He had blue eyes and jet black hair, and was wearing a flannel with jeans.

"Are you doubting me, Kane?" The master spoke. His threatening voice could shatter glass, but Kane held his strong act.

"Well, I just don't think that he will fall for this fake request. Even if he did, how will we know if the plan'll work?"

A teenage girl with light skin and short, curly brown hair skipped into the room they were in. She had her hair in a bun and was wearing a purple dress. She looked quite childish for her age, but her bubbly personality complemented her outfit. "He he he! Master, the guild members are getting pretty rowdy. Can you tell us what the plan is for tomorrow?" She fiddled with her thumb and gave their master puppy eyes.

"Ugh, I might as well, Azami, because apparently no one has a clue on what's going on!" The master got up from his seat and left his office, walking into the center of his guild. "Now listen up, Wolf Fangs!" He bellowed, getting everyone's attention. "This is how we are going to turn that strong-willed salamander into our own little killing machine."


	3. Chapter 3

**3rd Person**

***Present***

Team Natsu broke up in order to cover more ground. Gray tackled the north side of the small village, Lucy went west, Erza went south, and Happy and Natsu went east.

From the outskirts of the town, Kane kept an eye on his target, following Natsu as he headed towards a forest.

Natsu punched and kick all the opponents that he approached. He finished his area quickly, with all the members he defeated dazed on the ground. "Well, that was easy. Let's get back, Happy! I'm sure the others are done as well!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy replied grabbing Natsu so they could fly back to the center of the village.

"He he he! Not so fast!"

Natsu flicked on his flames and turned around, prepared to see who that high pitched voice belonged to.

Azami was there, and she playfully spun in a circle and touched the ground. Natsu watched in fascination as she pulled out a long sword from the ground made out of dirt and hardened it into a weapon. "You still have one more opponent!"

Natsu smirked at the challenge he finally had in front of him. "Alright! Now I'm all fired up!"

 **Kane**

I waited patiently for Azumi to give me the opportunity to strike. With her childish, yet graceful moves, I'll be sure to surprise Salamander. I held the dagger master gave me in my hand, slowly inching closer to the battle scene. At first, I was hesitant about the plan, but now it seems like it is coming all together.

I watched the fight from a distance. They both seemed equally matched, but it seems to me that the fire-kid was holding back. Oh well. Azumi has the unique ability to make objects from the earth, so he is making a mistake for going easy on her.

I watch the fight for a few more minutes until I saw Azumi make the cue. She made a hand from the earth shoot up near his foot and grabbed his ankle. As he lit his hand on fire to burn it off, I took this as an advantage. Using my super speed, I bolted from my hiding spot and sped towards Natsu, the dagger in position. Then I swiftly stabbed him in the left shoulder, driving the knife deeply into his skin.

"AGHH!" He screamed, immediately clutching his shoulder and falling to one knee. "NATSU!" A blue cat yelled, flying to him for support. Azumi released his ankle with her dirt hand and ran up to me. "He he he! Great job, Kane! What do we do now?"

"Well, master said just to leave after we put the dagger in 'em. So... our job is done."

"Let's go, I'll let Master know that we got the job done. The rest of the guild members will soon get the message."

And with that, I picked up Azumi and sped away.

 **Lucy**

There were only 13 members from the Wolf Fangs on the west side of this village, and with the help of Leo, the leader of my Zodiac Keys, I took them down in a flash. Virgo had just finished putting everyone to safety and had disappeared back into the Celestial world.

"All of your enemies are gone, M'lady. Would you like me to assist you with anything else?" Leo asked me, giving me a slight bow.

"Thanks, but I think I'll be good. See ya!" I replied, waving him off as he vanished.

I arrived back to the center of the village, the havoc seemed to have fallen down to a minimum, with little destruction everywhere. There, I met up with Gray and Erza, but someone was missing...

"Hey, where's Natsu?" I asked, maybe a bit too cautiously. Erza picked up on my concerned state and looked around. "I don't know... our opponents weren't that hard, so I hope he and Happy didn't run into any trouble..."

This made my heart drop. _Oh no... why are they taking so long...? This mission was easy... but then again, the reward was awfully high. Is there anything that I'm missing?_

"Hey, look!" Gray pointed to two figures approaching us from the distance. I sighed in relief after I was able to make out who it was.

Happy was clutching on to Natsu's vest with tears flowing freely, telling him something.

And Natsu... Nastu was clutching onto his left shoulder, with a lot of blood oozing out of it and leaking onto the ground. His face was scrunched up pain, as he shouted back at Happy.

The three of us ran to them, to see what had happened. As we got closer, Nastu's voice was audible. "I told you, Happy... ngh...that I'm fine!"

"Natsu! Are you hurt!" Erza shouted.

"I'm okay, I'm okay!" Natsu looked up at her, trying to reassure her by hiding the pain in his eyes.

I stepped up, not knowing what to do.  
"What happened!" I frantically asked, in dire need of an answer.

Happy spoke for him, while Natsu was obviously in a state of annoyance, pain, and trying to stop himself from having a panic attack.

"We were ambushed! And then someone stabbed Natsu with a knife!"

"I can't pull it out... though... I feel kinda... ngh...weak..." Nastu stumbled a bit, but Gray quickly moved to catch him from falling.

"Take it easy, buddy, stay with us." Even though Gray is trying to keep up his tough act, it's obvious to tell that he was scared.

"You are losing a lot of blood!" I yelled. Natsu's current state made my stomach twist; he was not looking too good. "Gray! Take that knife out of him!"

"It's too dangerous! He already lost too much blood!" Gray shouted.

"We need to take him back to the infirmary!" Erza demanded.

However, all conversations stopped when Natsu collapsed to the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

**HOORAY! LONGER CHAPTERS! It's nice to look back at my old chapters** **and see it progressively get better... Anyways, Happy finally has a spotlight in this one, because I felt like he needed some spotlight!**

 **Happy**

"AGHH!"

"NATSU!" I yelled, as he fell onto his knee.

The earth girl who was fighting Natsu joined with the boy who stabbed him and nonchalantly conversed with each other.

Natsu looked up, but before he was able to say anything, they sped away in a flash.

"Natsu! You're bleeding so much!" I didn't know what to do- it all happened so fast!

He wobbly stood up. "I don't know why it hurts so much... it feels like their is poison going through... my veins..."

"Let me fly you back!"

"NO HAPPY!" Natsu snapped. I backed up as I saw a deep anger in his eyes. "Er... I mean no... I-I'll walk." His eyes soon softened up, perplexed by his sudden outburst.

I became filled with worry. _Natsu never snaps... what's happening?_

As we continued walking, Nastu's steps became slow and sluggish. I clung onto his shirt, crying for him to take it easy, but he would only give me random shouts of anger.

"I TOLD you, Happy... ngh...that I'm FINE!"

Gray, Lucy, and Erza all ran to us and bombarded us with questions. I tried to explain the best that I could but Natsu was starting to lose consciousness. Within all the craziness and debate going on, Natsu blacked out.

"Happy! Fly Natsu to the Guild! Now!" Erza demanded.

"This can't be happening..." Lucy repeated.

I grabbed Natsu and flew as fast as I can back to the guild.

"SOMEONE! PLEASE! HELP NATSU!" I pleaded. Immediately Gramps jumped to the first floor. "My child, what happened?"

"I tell you later! Natsu is losing a lot of blood!"

He directed me to the infirmary and I laid Natsu on the bed.

"Is that a dagger on his shoulder? I'll get Porlyusica right now." Gramps scurried out of the room, leaving me and Natsu alone.

I look at him, his face surprisingly pale and beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. "Natsu..."

 **Natsu**

I opened my eyes to a blinding white light.

"Natsu! You're awake!" A tearful Lucy wrapped her hands around me.

"Hey Luce... what happened?"

Lucy stared at me, seemingly surprised at my question. "You mean, you don't remember?"

"Ughh not really. I just remember going on a mission and then getting stabbed by a knife. The rest is a little foggy." I rubbed my neck, trying to recall what had happen. When I looked at my shoulder, the knife was removed and it was tightly bandaged.

"Well, I guess it's normal to forget. I mean, you did lose a lot of blood. Porlyusica took care of your shoulder, so make sure you thank her when you see her."

Happy was asleep by my feet, and when he woke up, he flew straight towards my face. "Natsu! Don't scare me like that again!"

"Sorry, bud." I apologized, petting his head. Gray and Erza walked in, sighing in relief when they saw me awake. "Hey flame-brain, glad to see you up."

"How long was I out for?"

"5 hours. And after you left, the town folks told us that they did not send the mission request, so it must have been a trap all along." Erza responded.

"Yeah. I bet that dark guild raided that town on purpose and made that fake request just to lure you in. I wonder why, though." Gray pondered, resting on the wall while rubbing his chin.

"Well, if their plan was to kidnap me, then they failed big time!" I said, trying to cover the fact that kidnapping might not have been their motive. After all, I don't even think that they tried to capture me. Those people left after they attacked me, after all.

 **3rd POV**

Porlyusica walked into the infirmary. "Ah, you're awake. Now quit hurting yourself so I won't have to come here anymore! And... take it easy. You're still healing."

"Yeah... sorry about that. And thanks for helping!" Natsu replied.

"Hmpf." She put her herbs back into her back and left. But on her way out, she went to Makarov. "I examined the dagger that stabbed him and found out that it was tainted with poison. Keep an eye on him, okay? I'll try to find a vaccine for this stuff he was injected with.

"Of course. He is my child. I won't let anything happen to him." Makarov solemnly answered. _Natsu, my boy..._

Within half an hour, Natsu was already up and walking again. _I'm so glad that was over. I couldn't stand watching Natsu like that._ Lucy thought as she watched Natsu argue with Gray. She was glad to see that he was acting normal again.

"Lucyyyyyy! I'm hungryyyyyyy!" Happy complained.

"Alright. Let's get something to eat. It's too bad that we didn't get any money from this mission, though!" Lucy walked towards Natsu and elbowed his good shoulder. "Hey! Let's get some food! You must be hungry- you haven't eaten since this morning!"

Natsu looks at Lucy and gave her his signature smile. "Thanks, Luce!"

They arrived at a local restaurant and Lucy ordered fish for Happy, pasta for herself, and basically the whole menu for Natsu. "Now eat up! This might be the last outing we'll have in a while because of all the money I drained!"

Lucy rambled on and on about how the guild should have a tennis court, since "Sabertooth has one and we don't", but she soon realized that Natsu was dozing off. "Hellooo! Earth to Natsu!" She said, waving her hand in his face. Natsu was gnawing on a french fry while staring off into space. "Huh?" He asked, looking up at her.

"I said that we need a tennis court in our guild! We're you not listening?"

"Oh, uh, sure. Sure."

Lucy looked down at his meals to see them untouched. "You good, Natsu? You didn't eat anything."

Natsu tossed his French fry to the side. "Hmpf. I guess I'm not hungry."

"Yes! Leftovers!" Happy greedily stated, slobbering all over his food.

"Ya know what? I don't feel too good. Thanks for the food, Luce. Imma head home." He said, holding his head. He slightly gritted his teeth and clutched the bottom of his seat with his other hand. Lucy stared at Natsu with one eyebrow raised. "Natsu... Are you okay?"

"Heh... I'll be alright..." Natsu stood up from his seat. "You can finish eating Happy. I'll be home if you need me."

Happy and Lucy exchanged looks. "Well... uh- aye sir!" Happy hesitantly went back to his fish.

 _That was weird... Natsu never gets sick..._ Lucy thought, but she just shrugged it off. _He's probably just tired from today._

"Happy... can you go and check on him? I'm a bit worried." Lucy said, watching Natsu leave.

"Sure, okay."

 **Natsu**

It was embarrassing running off like that, but my head has never hurt so much before. I sprinted to my house immediately after I left the building, trying to avoid as much eye contact as I can. I hate it when Lucy worries about me, so I tried my best to act normal- at least while I was in the restaurant. Once I reached my house, I barged through my door and ran into the kitchen. Taking in deep breaths to calm the pain, waves of nausea only came back stronger.

 _Why is this happening to me?_

I never get headaches! Was it something I ate?

An overwhelming wave of pain crashed me, blackening out the corners of my vision.

"AGH!" I sat on the floor, hugging my knees. I buried my head in my knees, pleading for the pain to stop.

It felt like hours passed as I laid there, the migraine ringing my ears whenever another round of excruciating pain came by.

I felt the darkness close in around me. I was slipping from consciousness, and my thoughts became foggy.

 _Where am I?_

All I saw was darkness. It was an endless void I floated in. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of me. I took a closer look at him- he looked just like me. But instead of my emerald eyes, the figure's eyes were crimson red. He had a sadistic smile plastered on his face, with wide, maniac eyes staring right back at me. This must be all in my mind. I was scared- it felt like if I lost consciousness, then this... _figure_... would take control.

"Natsu? Natsu!"

My vision cleared up, and the mysterious figure vanished. I focused on a blue cat in front of me, who was shaking my shoulder.

"Huh- what?" I asked looking around, slowing recognizing my surroundings.

 _Oh. I'm in my kitchen._

"I came in here and saw you dazed on the floor! Did something happened?"

I rubbed my head to find the pain swelling down. _That was odd... What was that figure I just saw? It looked just like me, but more... insane... What could it have been?_

"Natsu!"

I looked up to see Happy still there, waiting for an answer.

"What did you say?"

"I said- what happened?!" He repeated.

"I... don't know... I remember having a major headache... and then ending up here." I realized that I was still hugging my knees. I crossed my legs and scratched my head, still perplexed on the situation.

Happy realized that I didn't have a clue about what happened, so he sat on my lap. "Natsu... you've been acting strange lately..."

"Heh, yeah. I haven't been exactly feelin' like myself, either."

"It's getting late... Go to bed, right now." Happy instructed.

I was quite baffled at Happy's authoritative motives, but he is usually like this when he feels the need to take care of me. Well, we have grown up together after all, so it is normal for us to have each other's backs. I got up from the floor and saluted him. "Aye, sir!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Kane**

"Congratulations on your success on stabbing Natsu. It's only a matter of time before he becomes a blood-thirsty hound. When that happens, I want you two to retrieve him for me." Master said, rubbing his chin in a satisfied manner.

"But when'll he be ready? Waiting sucks!" Azumi pouted, impatiently crossing her arms.

"It's when he loses consciousness," Master responded. "Remember that poison you gave him, Kane?"

I nodded, starting to see where he was going with this.

"Well, the poison is amplifying his anger emotion, and is adding some... let's say... 'improvements' to it. Now instead of that salamander's 'energetic and strong-willed' side when he's angry, he will now become more 'bloodlust and psychotic'."

He picked up a wine glass and took a sip from it. "Thanks to the poison you gave him, his anger emotion will now have it's own mind and personality. So basically, once Natsu loses consciousness, that emotion will take control."

"How will we know when to retrieve him?" Azumi asked, now interested in the conversation.

"Well, it's a good thing that I planned ahead, and made a few spies put some cameras into his guild. Now all I have to do is watch and wait until the transformation happens." Master chuckled. "Once it's time, you two will bring him back here."

I smiled after he explained everything. How great was this! Fairy tail always interfered in our plans and raiding of towns (even if they don't realize it), so going into their guild and stealing their strongest member will definitely be sweet revenge, not to mention that it'll give us a higher advantage!

I cracked my knuckles, ready to retrieve Wolf Fang's current prize possession.

"You want me to steal a fairy tail dragon slayer? Consider it done."

 **Natsu**

I stared at the wall in front of me.

Whenever I close my eyes, I would see _him_ in the darkness, and as I tried to fall asleep, _he_ would only draw closer. It felt like this psychotic figure in my head was trying to find a way to come out, and if I sleep, he'll take advantage.

His presence sent a chill down my spine. Crimson eyes stared at me within the darkness. It felt maleficent and threatening, as he waited patiently for his time.

No! I will not let him take control of my mind!

I looked at the clock beside me.

 _2:30 am_

I rolled out of bed and went to the fridge. If that figure is trying to take control when I go to sleep, then... easy, I just won't go to sleep.

I pulled out a couple of Red Bull's and sat on my kitchen counter.

 _Pull an all-nighter? Easy._

 **Happy**

*8 hours later*

Natsu's strange behavior really had me on edge. I hoped that Gramps would know what's going on with him. Did Natsu really get poisoned after he got stabbed yesterday?

I flew out of my bed to check on Natsu. I've been thinking about him all morning. _When he feels better, I'll be sure to-_ my heart dropped in mid-thought. I was looking at an empty hammock. _Where did he go?_

Natsu is obviously not in a good state right now, so I can't afford to lose him. I flew around our cottage, frantically searching for him. "Natsu! Natsu where are you!"

"I'm... in the kitchen! Little kitty..."

I turned around, finding Natsu sitting on the kitchen counter... with 16 cans of Red Bull next to him.

"Natsu! What are you doing!" I flew to him, surprised at what I saw.

His eyes were red, with dark rings under them. He was holding another can of Red Bull, burning the top off with his fingers.

"I was pulling an all-nighter... silly!" He snickered.

 _Did he stay up the whole night living off of Red Bull? He's delirious..._

"Wh-why didn't you sleep last night, Natsu?" I was careful with my words, trying to get him to focus on me.

"I didn't want the other me to take control, so I decided to stay up allllll night! He he! Whenever I felt a little sleepy, I chugged another Red Bull!"

 _The other me?_ I stared at him, bewildered at his response. He was fidgety- his eyes were darting around as he tapped his finger at some insane speed.

Any normal person would have easily got diabetes, or even fell into cardiac arrest, but Natsu's... different. He looked like he was going to explode, barely being able to contain himself as he sat on the counter.

I was frozen in my place. How will I get Natsu to function properly? I thought back to what Gray, what Erza would do. Then it hit me.

I flew in front of Natsu and slapped him across the face. "SNAP OUT OF IT!" I yelled, determined to bring him back.

Natsu blinked a couple of times, a bit confused on what just happened. "Ow! What was that for!" He looked down by his side and saw the empty cans of Red Bull next to him. "What time is it?"

"It's past 10! What just happened?" I barked, demanding for answers.

"I-I did it! I stayed up the whole night! I can't believe it!"

"NATSU! TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE! IT'S NOT FAIR FOR ME TO NOT KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOU! YOU HAVE ME WORRIED!" There were tears going down my cheeks.

Natsu froze and looked at me, his eyes softening with guilt, and his tone became more serious. "Sorry, Happy. I don't even know what's happening myself, really." Natsu stood up and walked to the bathroom. I trailed behind him. He rested his hands on the sides of the sink and stared at himself at the mirror.

"What did you mean when you said that you didn't want for the other you to take control?" I asked.

"Oh, heh... I said that? Well, yesterday, I had a major headache, but as I was losing consciousness, I saw a figure that looked just like me, but... he looked insane. I didn't want him to take over my mind, so I stayed up all night to prevent it from happening. I don't think that I can sleep without him taking advantage." Natsu looked down, his hair shadowing his eyes.

"Why is this happening all of a sudden?" I asked. Fear was filling me up, but that didn't stop me from wanting to find out more.

Natsu unwrapped his bandage around his shoulder, his flesh still raw from the wound. "I told you, I think I got poisoned. This has to be the side effects."

Natsu turned on the faucet and splashed his face with water. "Ugh, I need a shower."

I was speechless. Why is Natsu going through all this pain without anyone knowing? Why does he care so much for his friends that he doesn't even consider about his own well-being? He is right now battling - _for his life-_ basically, but he didn't even bother to drag anyone else into his problems. Natsu has always been like this, but right now, he needs our help, and I won't let him push us away this time.

"Natsu, I'm going to tell Master about all of this. I bet he will know what to do."

Natsu took off his shirt but paused after I said this. I can tell he was hesitant about my decision- he never likes getting people into his problems.

"Alright."

I walked out of the bathroom once he turned on the shower. "I feel all jittery from the Red Bull. Let me take a shower, and then I'll go with you."

 **Porlyusica**

I've worked day and night for the cure to this poison. Makarov hasn't told me anything about Natsu yet, so I assume that he is doing alright so far. Last night, after testing it on a mouse, I figured out that the poison makes its victims rage. At first, I didn't get any reaction, but then after she took a nap, her eyes immediately shot open, and they were crimson red. She started to bite her cage, snarling and kicking viciously as she tried to find a way out. She died, shortly after. Her body wasn't strong enough for the poison.

 _Was it from sleeping that made the mouse become enraged? Or was it merely a coincidence?_

I took note of all this. I'll have to tell Makarov my discovery because seeing this experiment makes me fear of what'll happen to Natsu.


	6. Chapter 6

**This whole chapter is Natsu's POV, and it also happens to be my last one. However, if this story becomes pretty popular, then I definitely wouldn't mind continuing it! The only reason why I stopped it was because I started other stories that I am much more interested in (yep, I am of those people), and I can't wait to share them with you guys! But back to this story, please like and comment if you want to see more!**

 **Natsu**

Staying awake for the whole night really gets you in the morning. I thought that I would have been able to outrun sleep, but it's only made me groggy. The shower I took did freshen me up though, but I am nonetheless on the edge of passing out.

I walked with Happy to the guild as I tried my best to look alive. Luckily I had some extra bandages lying around, because I used that to rewrap my knife wound.

"Happy... can you please try to keep this a secret between us and Gramps?" I asked, hoping that he won't tell everyone about my condition.

"Of course, if only you promise to take it easy." Happy compromised.

"Don't worry Happy. I'll be alright." I hate lying to him, but he has already been through enough, and I don't want to stress him anymore. At this rate, I know that I won't be able to last long before fainting, and that's when my psychotic conscious will take advantage. I'll just have to keep an optimistic view on my situation, even though I feel like the worst is yet to come.

Hopefully Gramps'll know what to do.

Once we arrived at the guild, I walked straight towards Gramps office. However, Lucy saw me and ran by my side. "Natsu! I wanted to know how you were feelin- hey, did you get any sleep last night? You look drained!"

I immediately realized that she noticed the dark rings under my eyes.

"Uhhh, yeah. I couldn't sleep." I technically didn't lie, because this was true. I _literally_ wasn't able to sleep.

"Aw, I guess you were pretty sick then. How is your shoulder?"

I looked towards my arm, nearly forgetting about the incident that took place yesterday. "Oh, it's doing pretty good. Hey, I'm going to go talk to Gramps real quick, so I'll be right back."

"Yeah, sure! Come to where we all usually sit after you're done." Lucy walked back to a table where Erza, Wendy, and Carla were chatting.

When Happy and I arrived at Gramps' office, I saw him filing destruction reports from Fairy Tail's recent missions. "Natsu! I'm glad to see that you're okay. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Yeah, it's about yesterday. I think that I got poisoned by the dagger."

Gramps stopped what he was doing and stared at me. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier, but yes, it's true. Porlyusica figured it out after she removed the weapon, and she is finding a cure for it as we speak."

I felt weight lift off my shoulders. _There might be a chance of everything going back to normal after all._

"Have you... been experiencing any side effects of any sorts?" He asked. I can tell that he was observing my tired eyes and sluggish posture.

"Uhh... yeah, actually." I took a seat on the chair in front of him, and Happy sat on the table.

"I think that the poison did something in my head. Whenever I close my eyes, I see a figure of myself, but a malicious and psychotic version. I think that if I lose consciousness, then that version of me will take over."

"That's why he stayed up all night- to avoid that from happening!" Happy chirped in. I just realized how quiet he was this whole time.

Gramps thought about what I just said, soaking it all in. "How do you know that that version of yourself will take over?" He asked, trying to piece everything together.

"I don't know... I just feel his presence draw closer and closer..."

Gramps stood up and paced back and forth. "Thank you, Natsu. I will tell this all to Porlyusica, this information is very valuable. But you look extremely tired, my boy. How long will you last before you can't take it anymore?"

"I don't know..." I replied, already feeling the dread of sleep pull over. "I can just about last a few more hours before passing out..." I chuckled a little bit, knowing that I was barely able to have this conversation.

"Alright. I'll go right now to tell her your side effects, and how much time she has left. Happy, make sure that Natsu stays awake."

"Aye, sir! You can trust in me!" Happy jumped up and flew on my head, this conversation had lifted his spirits.

We are going to find a cure in time, so no one will have to find out how that other version of me will be like.

I joined my friends at their table, sitting down next to Lucy.

"Hey, I'm back" I said, yawning. I placed my elbow on the table to rest my head on my hand, feeling my eyelids grow heavy. _So comfy..._

"You should really get some rest, Natsu, you're not looking too good." Wendy advised, looking at me with a delicate and concerned face. _She might be right... just a little nap won't hurt..._

"NO! Natsu will NOT go to sleep!" Happy yelled, making us all jump.

"Happy! What was that for?" Lucy questioned, defending a nervous Wendy.

I rubbed my eyes. "No, no, he's right. I shouldn't be sleeping." I said, taking my elbow back off the table. I felt a blanket of drowsiness begin to cover me.

"What do you mean?" Erza asked, just as confused as the rest of them.

Before Happy was able to answer, Gray walked in. "Hey flame-breath, what's the matter?" He teased.

I got up from my seat to shoot back an insult.

 **Ooo... Kill him.**

I looked around, in search of that voice. _Who said that!?_

"Yo, squinty-eyes, you can't see? I'm over here." Gray said, waving his hand.

"Natsu, are you okay?" Erza asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

 **Ooo! No, no! Kill her!**

My head started to throb, threatening another migraine. I grabbed my head and shut my eyes. It's _him_. His eyes pierced into my soul, his mouth cracking into a wide smile. Am I really that tired that he is now talking to me?

"Happy... _he's_ coming..." I managed to whisper.

Wendy jumped up and looked around. "Who's coming?"

Happy pulled my hair. "No! I won't let it happen! Stay awake!"

Gray stopped provoking me, showing concern on his face instead. "Hey, bud, what's happening? Was it something I said?"

I tried to look around, but the entire room started to spin. I was getting dizzy- _is this a symptom of sleep deprivation?_

"Natsu, focus on me! Please! Don't pass out!" Someone shouted. I think it was Happy...

"Your eyes! They are flickering to red!" Someone pointed out. I don't know who it was.

"Natsu!"

The darkness completely overwhelmed me.

All I saw was crimson eyes.

 **Natsu... can I come out now?**


	7. Chapter 7

**I really appreciate the positive feedback towards this story, because it encouraged me to continue it! Now that this fanfic is back on engines, I don't know if I should end this within a few chapters, or to make it even more continuous! Depending on if this story grows or not, I will see what path I should take. Thanks for all your support! XOXO**

 **Erza**

Natsu fell on the floor, unconscious.

"NATSU! NATSU PLEASE, WAKE UP!" Happy pulled and tugged his hair, trying in vain to get Natsu to open his eyes.

 _Why is Happy acting like this? He just passed out from sleep deprivation..._

Wendy ran by his side, putting her hands on his chest and using her healing magic on him. "It's alright, Natsu, I got you."

Lucy bent down and stroked Natsu's hair. "Poor Natsu, he was probably really tired." As a crowd gathered around, she shouted, "Someone, get Master," to no one in particular.

Before anyone followed Lucy's instructions, a teary Happy looked up at her. "Gramps is not here... he went to get Porlyusica."

 _Master went to Porlyusica? But we never go to her, unless the situation is serious. That's it… There is something that Happy's not telling us._

I grabbed Happy by his necktie and pulled him a few inches from my face. Everyone got quiet, cowering down in fear from my deathly stare.

"Happy, tell us what's happening. Now!"

Happy gulped, sweat dripping down his forehead. "But...but I promised Natsu that I wouldn't tell..."

I tightened my grip and hardened my stare. "Happy..."

"Fine! Fine! Just... just let go!"

I released my grip, satisfied, and Happy frantically fixed his necktie.

He looked at the motionless Natsu, then at the crowd, and then back at me. Everyone was staring at him at this point, waiting to see what he had to say.

"Natsu... was poisoned when he got stabbed by the knife."

The room went silent. Color was drained from everyone's faces, shocked that they didn't know about this before.

"Poisoned?" Lucy asked, breaking the moment of silence. "What do you mean?"

"The thing is, the poison did things in his head. I think it... made another version of Natsu, but it has a psychotic personality! I was trying to keep him awake, because if he loses consciousness, then that _other side_ would take over."

"Why didn't he say anything?" Gray asked. He looked very irritated, but not because of Natsu. His eyes had a fire in them- it looked like he wanted revenge towards whoever did this to him.

"You know Natsu! He hates bringing his friends into his problems! I had to dig my way through in order to find out what was going on!" Happy nearly yelled this out, but his voice soon lowered into a soft whisper. "I made him tell Gramps, and he's on his way to Porlyusica right now."

This sounds like Natsu. He is like my little brother, so I know exactly how he's like when he gets injured. I exchanged a look with Gray, and we both had a burning frustration in our eyes. Whoever did this to Natsu, will pay.

"Alright. So what should we do to stop this from happening?" I asked, feeling a new sense of determination rising up within me. Natsu has saved me countless of times before, so letting this _thing_ take over is not an option.

"I don't know, I'm just scared what's gonna happen when he—"

BAMM!

Happy was in mid-sentence when the doors of the guild hall flung open.

We all whipped our heads to see two people barge through the entrance. One was a young adult, around his early twenties, with dark skin and black hair. Next to him, was a girl, looking a few years younger, with light skin and brown curly hair tied up in a bun. They both wore a dark blue cloak -covering everything but their heads- and the girl was holding a long sword... made out of dirt? On the center of their cloaks was a symbol of a wolf.

"The Wolf Fangs? What are they doing here?" I questioned, reequipping a sword into my hands.

"No... no! Not you two again!" Happy quivered, stepping in front of an unconscious Natsu as a form of protection.

Gray and a few others stepped beside me, going into a combat stance. "Happy, do you know these people?" He asked, eyeballing the strangers as he faced Happy.

"Yes! They are the ones who stabbed Natsu! I bet they're here to take him!" Happy replied.

"He He He! That little cat of yours is smart!" The girl spoke, pointing her dirt sword at Happy. "We are here to take something of ours!"

Lucy stepped in front of Natsu. "You did this to him! If you think that you can take him away, then you're wrong!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you think that we were asking?" The man stepped up, his hands nonchalantly in his pockets. "We are taking the salamander... whether you like it or not."

In a flash, he appeared in front of Lucy, with a hand wrapped around her throat. "Now, I'm going to ask nicely... would you mind stepping aside?" He stared deeply into her eyes, as if he was putting her into a trance. He was at least a foot taller than Lucy, slowly lifting her feet off the floor so they could be eye level. He tightened his grip in a taunting way, and Lucy desperately grasped his hand, trying to pry it open so she could free her airway.

Immediately, I reacted.

I sprinted towards him, my weapon aimed. "Stay away from her!"

I swung my sword, nearly slicing the man's arm, when suddenly the girl interfered, holding her sword out in front of her to deflect my blow. She playfully shook her finger. "Nn-nn-nnn! I don't think so!" She giggled.

"That's it." Gray jumped in and threw an ice shard at her, clearly irritated from our newcomers. In a blink of an eye, the man appeared in front of his younger teammate and grabbed Gray's flying shard... _with ease_.

Lucy, now free from his grasp, grabbed her neck and heaved for air. "Ohhhh... you'll pay for that..." She pulled out a key and summoned a spirit. "Gate of the Scorpion! I open thee! Scorpio!" A tan shirtless male appeared from thin air, a long tail curling behind him. "Scorpio! Show this guy not to mess with FairyTail!"

"Consider it done!" He replied, firing towards his target.

A full fight has begun, and more FairyTail members joined in, battling out the two talented mages. I clashed swords with the dirt mage, elegantly jumping from table to table as we fought, while Gray, Lucy, and a few others all performed team combos on her partner.

"You won't get Natsu!"

"No way!"

"You can't beat FairyTail!"

Even though these mages are powerful, they were clearly outnumbered. _What were their plans to do with Natsu?_

"heh.

ha. ha ha!

Ha!

HA!

HA HAA HE HA HAHHA!"

The atmosphere thins, everyone's eyes widening from the laughter they just heard. Even Wolf Fang paused their fighting, and looked up in fear.

That voice... it sounded... malicious... bloodthirsty... maniacal... psychotic... insane...

It sounded like a voice that would come from a nightmare, but at the same time, it sounded like the voice that we all knew too well...

 _Natsu._


	8. Chapter 8

**For each of my chapters, I will try to post them every week, but it may be hard to do that with school and stuff. Still, look out for upcoming chapters, because I'll do my best on getting them done on time!**

* * *

 **Porlyusica**

It's been a day and a half since Natsu's incident, meaning a day and a half of work without rest. I tested many rats, and tried out many experiments, but I feel like there is an important puzzle piece that I'm missing.

An urgent knock was at my door. I rolled my eyes and walked over to my entrance, opening the door irritatedly.

 _Darn those tax collectors, always disturbing me from my work..._

I look out the door, but was surprised to see a 4-foot-tall old man instead of two needy officers. "Makarov?" I knew that this sudden visit had something to do with Natsu.

"I have some news, and I don't think you'll like them." He said, panting. I looked behind him to see huge footprints in the soil leading to my house. He must have grown into a giant to get here as fast as he could, all the way from Fairy Tail. "Tell me everything you know." I said, gesturing him into my house.

"I wish I could tell you all that has happened, but unfortunately I don't think that time is in our favor." Makarov nodded politely as he walked in. "What I came over to tell you is about Natsu's condition. He has been experiencing some side effects from the poison."

"Go on." I said, giving him my undivided attention.

"He has been very sluggish due to sleep deprivation. He said that he didn't even sleep last night, all because he thinks that this "psychotic _"_ version of himself will take over. Happy even told me that he has got a major migraine when he got home yesterday afternoon." Makarov looked at me straight in the eyes. "Looking at the boy, he didn't seem like he is going to stay awake any longer. We need to find a cure to this immediately, before matters get worst."

I contemplated on this deeply. _Hmm... migraines... sluggish... sleep deprivation... psychotic..._ The words revolved around my head in an endless cycle as I tried to piece them together. _This is just like what happened to the rat I first tested. But the migraines? How does that correlate?_

 _This proves my theory that losing consciousness led to the rat's rampage, because after my test subject took a nap, she went berserk. Was that the psychotic version of the mouse awakening?_

 _Wait, since the rat was showing strong anger emotions, this means that Natsu is going to endure the same thing! So... the migraine Natsu had must have been the poison amplifying his anger emotion in his conscious! But if the rat didn't have a headache, that must mean that his emotions weren't strong enough to cause pain. Natsu is a very emotional person, and he uses this as an advantage to get stronger._

 _Poor Natsu, the transforming of his emotions must have been painful..._

 _Wait._

 _Can't I reverse this transformation and stabilize his emotions?_

 _Of course! How did I not think of this!_

I didn't even realize Makarov was still there, but he must have noticed me thinking, so he sat down patiently. However, even though he respectfully waited, you can see the pain and worry in his eyes.

I abruptly ran to my counter, grabbing the herbs and materials as different ingredients flooded into my mind. Years worth of recipes was embedded in my memory, and if I'm correct, then this combination of ingredients will do the trick. "Makarov," I said, scurrying to my kitchen. "I figured out the cure. I can't believe the answer was in front of me this whole time."

I grabbed lemongrass, soy dust, dill graveolens, and Florence fennel, and ground them all into a wooden bowl before mixing water and various liquids into it. As I poured the concoction into a syringe, I continued speaking. "I need you to return back to Natsu immediately and inject him with this syringe." I handed the cure to Makarov, and he gave me a firm nod. "You can trust in me to protect my FairyTail children!"

 **3rd person**

 ***At the guild***

All eyes were on the pink-haired boy, and the silence in the room was deathly.

His bangs were shadowing his eyes, and he continued to giggle maniacally until it became an uproar laughter that filled the guild.

"HA! HAAHAHA!" Natsu shot his chin up towards the sky, bursting out in laughter, and tears were forming in his shut eyes.

A young girl by him, who was previously trying to heal his sleep deprivation, stumbled backwards in fear. "Na-natsu? A-Are you o-kay?"

Suddenly, Natsu lowered his chin, as if he finally realized the people surrounding him. He looked around, but all the fearful faces only made his smile grow. It wasn't only his attitude that changed, but his appearance changed as well. Instead of his lively, energetic onyx eyes, a crazed delight in the deepest red replaced them. His razor-sharp canines were blaring in his wide smile. Bags were still under his eyes, giving him a frenzied look, and he held an intimidating stance. "Look at all the _wonderful_ humans here! All so delicate... with their little lives and bodies... I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THEM BURN!"

Natsu engulfed himself in fire, red vicious flames threatening to consume anyone within reach. Lucy grabbed Wendy and hid her behind her back, acting as a shield to the overwhelming heat radiating off her comrade. "Natsu! Please! Snap out it!"

Happy melted down to the floor, staring in disbelief at his best friend. "We're... we're too late..."

Azumi leaned closed to Kane. "Hey, everyone's distracted. Let's get him out of here."

"But how?" Kane whispered back. This obviously wasn't going to be easy.

Natsu ear twitched, and he looked towards their direction. His stare alone made the two freeze in fear. From _across the room,_ he asked, "Are you two talking about me?" Azumi opened up her mouth to reply, but no words came out.

"That makes me _angry_." In a blink of an eye, Natsu appears in front of her, punching her in the gut. She flew backwards 30 feet in a flash, crashing into the wall and creating a hole where she landed. Kane speechlessly looked at Natsu, and then at the place where his comrade just was moments ago. Gray ran to Natsu's side and grabbed his shoulder. "What are you doing?! You could have killed her!"

Natsu turned around to face Gray and his guild mates. He had a grin plastered on his face, but it was one that no sane person could do. "Kill her? Now that doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'll do more than breaking her ribs next time. In fact..." He turned around to face Azumi, but immediately Kane jumped in front of his view. "Don't even think about touching her."

Natsu once again engulfed himself in flames, burning Gray's hand that was gripping on his shoulder. He launched towards Kane and threw a fist towards his chest. Before Natsu could hit him, Kane was barely able to dodge that fatal punch with his super speed.

"How'd he get so fast?!" Kane questioned in pure bewilderment.

Natsu didn't do anything but smirk to his comment. "Destruction. Power. What have I been doing my whole life? THIS IS WHAT I CALL LIVING!"

Kane remembered his master telling him the effects of the poison. _It was only supposed to create a version of him that has nothing but his negative emotions intensified, so why does he seem more powerful than the last time he fought?_ Then, it the idea hit him. _That jerk. He probably was holding back his true power this whole time. The poison didn't enhance his power, it only dulled his sense to control it._

At that moment, Kane realized that he wasn't going to be able to capture him by fighting. He was just too strong. So, he resorted to his last choice: persuading him with words.

"Salamander, it is obvious that you have a bloodthirsty nature, and your rage towards humans and living things intrigues me. Join my guild, the Wolf Fangs, and together we can wreak havoc and incite fear, and with your power, we can take control of all of Magnolia!" Kane shouted, his arms open wide with pride.

The Fairy Tail members looked at Natsu in shock, fearfully waiting for how he would react.

Natsu slowly walked towards the man, his ominous demeanor increasing.

Kane, with his tough act crumbling away, began to slowly back up, before tripping over something and landing onto the floor. He trembled as Natsu looked down at him.

"Oh, is that so?" Natsu questioned. "You want me to follow a petty dark guild? I mean, look at you."

Natsu grabbed him by the foot and lifted him up, leaving Kane hanging upside down.

" _You're pitiful_."

With ease, Natsu flung him to the across the room, crashing him into the tables.

That left the whole room speechless, as both Wolf Gang members were defeated effortlessly. No one from Fairy Tail was ready to fight Natsu, nor did they want to.

And for Lucy, she stared at Natsu in disbelief. What has become of her best friend? She knew for a fact that he would never do or say anything so cruel. She couldn't watch this anymore. The evil and rage in his eyes did not suit him at all. That wasn't her Natsu.

Lucy bundled up the courage within her, and raced towards Natsu's side.

"Lucy, no!" Gray shouted, his voice was firm, but Lucy persisted anyways.

Lucy grabbed hold of Natsu, squeezing him tight around his waist. She burrowed her nose into his shirt, shaking her head as tears rolled down.

"Natsu, please, I know you're in there. Come back. Stop this madness." She pleaded, her words no louder than a whisper.

Happy held back tears as Wendy hugged him tightly. She wasn't able to stop Lucy from running, but at least she was able to hold down Happy. She feared what Natsu would do them, especially after seeing him unleash his wrath on the Wolf Fang members. Erza and Gray prepared their fighting positions, ready to defend Lucy from Natsu's next moves. But still, they couldn't bring themselves to hurt him. That's _Natsu_ they're pointing their weapons at.

They all anxiously watched as Natsu turned around, looking at the blonde that clung on to him desperately. His eyes were bloodshot red, but the gaze they held was… _confusion_.

 **Natsu's POV**

My vision is red.

I can barely see or make out anything, just feel the presence of overwhelming heat and rage.

It's as if I lost control of my body, just existing in the back of my subconscious. I would hear myself talk, but it sounded so malevolent. So evil. _Is that the figure talking?_

I felt groggy, and I was barely able to see what he is doing, but I could hear the screams of some of my guild mates.

"Hey, listen! Get out of my body, you freak! What are you doing to my friends?" I shouted, hoping that my alter ego would hear me.

 **Shut up, kid. Can't you see I'm enjoying myself?**

The voice racked the atmosphere around me, further pressing me into my subconscious.

I tried again, this time raising my voice. "I said that I want my body back!" I felt myself inching closer to the voice, focusing all my attention on taking back control.

 **You're annoying; I'll tell you that much. Stop persisting unless I'll—**

The voice abruptly stopped, confusing me. I was about to shout some remark, but it wasn't until then when I felt it too.

It was a warm embrace.

I felt a calmness overflow my mind, and I felt the muscles in my body relax. The red in my vision slowing began to dissipate, revealing a blonde hair girl clinging onto me.

 _Lucy_.

 **Wh-who is this? Why is this person making me feel this way?**

My senses were coming back, as I was able to smell the sweet vanilla perfume Lucy was wearing, as well as feel her soft embrace around me. The red fog only embroidered my vision, and I was able to fully see her in front of me.

"It's Lucy, and she's my key on getting out of here!" I laughed, pushing even harder than before. I felt like my confidence resurfaced, and I my alertness sharpened as I was able to regain control over my body.

 **What do you think your doing?**

At that moment, I witnessed my arms pushing Lucy away, before my body turned around and left the building.

 **You think you can have your body back? You don't even use your powers correctly. I'll show you just want you can do with your power.**

My vision became cloudy yet again, and I my senses were dulled.

"Hey! Get back in there! Stop!" I knew exactly what he was going to do, and I was angry at myself for not being able to stop it. My thoughts became foggy as I felt _his_ rage strengthen, covering me up into the depths of my subconscious.

I felt weak again, and the drowsiness came back. But, even so, I realized there was one thing about _him_ that stood out to me the most.

He has no intention to hurt Lucy.

* * *

 **Please review if you're enjoying this story!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Sorry about the long wait... but I'm just not feeling this story anymore. I hope you can't tell this through my writing, but I felt that this chapter and the previous one could've been better. I thank those who have been enjoying these chapters though, and I would really appreciate it if you'd leave a comment on how this fanfic is going. I would say that I have two chapters lefts, and I really want to end off strong! XOXO**

 **Lucy**

The whole room was quiet.

No words can describe how we all felt at that moment. _Fear. Confusion._ _Worry_. All of these torment of emotions we had were for the sake of Natsu. His mind and body were robbed by rage, and now he has no control of it. Now, who knows where he took off to…

"Come on! We can't lose him! We must bring Natsu back here this instant!" Erza demanded, taking off through the doors of our guild hall. Everyone in the room followed her command with little hesitation, yet uncertainty was drawn on their faces.

I still didn't understand what was going on, because it had all happened so quickly. However, I refused to let that worry weigh me down, and I forced my feet to move as fast as they could.

I made my way outside, and the overwhelming smell of smoke hit me. _No…_ I looked around myself, unable to move from the horror in front of me. Fire consumed the buildings that lined up the streets of Magnolia, and citizens were running frantically to places of safety. The rest of my guild members seemed to be frozen as well, watching the atrocity in fear. Walking down the street before us was the salmon-head boy, burning the pavement below him with every step he took. His hands were ablaze with flames, and he cast magic circles to erupt more things on fire.

I ran next to Gray, my eyes frantically searching his. "Gray, what are we going to do?! Natsu's going to burn down Magnolia if we don't stop him!"

"I know…" Gray stated, before walking towards the fire mage. "That's why we are going to have to fight him."

Erza began walking as well, before turning around and yelling at the rest of us. "Everyone, I order you to put out the burning buildings and protect the civilians! Gray and I will fight Natsu until Master hopefully returns with a cure for this."

Immediately, everyone dispersed, taking heed to Erza's commands once again. I stayed, however, looking at Erza and Gray as they walked away, before following after them. "You're going to fight Natsu? You don't think there is any other way?"

Gray looked at me, determination on his face. "We don't have time to think of another plan. The more time we waste, the worst it will be for everyone." He and Erza broke into a jog, and I soon did the same.

"Let me help you then. The more people who team up against him, the faster we can get this done."

Gray nodded in agreement, before slowing down to a stop. Erza and I did the same, as we approached Natsu in front of us.

"Natsu. We're not going to let you destroy any more buildings. I know you can overcome this. Just stop this nonsense!" Erza dictated.

Natsu turned around, his crimson eyes bearing at her. They looked threatening, causing me to step back. "Oh, is that so? Then _make me._ "

That's when it started. Gray jumped towards Natsu, wielding an ice sword into his hands. He swung at him, but the fire mage jumped backward, landing on one knee with his palm of his hand pressing on the ground.

Natsu used this position to launch forward, blasting towards Gray with his hand out like a claw. "FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING FLAME!" He roared, thrashing his arm towards Gray's body.

In that split moment, Erza jumped in front of Gray, dressed in her flame empress armor, and her long red sword was crossed in front of her to shield themselves from Natsu's scorching fire. She immediately switched to offense, stepping forward and attacking Natsu with her weapon. He was thrown backward, crashing to a building near the side of the road.

I looked at my partners in awe, amazed at the teamwork that those two can do. "Wow. That was amazing." I remarked.

Erza turned to me and smirked, but before she could respond, Natsu darted out of the building in lighting speed, attacking her from behind. "FIRE DRAGON'S CLAW!" Natsu turned around in mid-air, slamming his foot onto Erza's back.

She flew forward, crashing onto me unexpectedly. Gray outstretched his arms, forming a magic circle over Natsu. "Ice Make: Hammer!" A giant hammer was created, dropping it onto Natsu with extreme force. Natsu was caught under the impact, crashing onto the ground from the weight that fell on him.

He got up, bruises and scratches adorned all over him. His canines were baring, as his mouth was fixated in a scowl. His eyes were squinted in deep rage, and his eyebrows furrowed. He walked towards Gray, his hands ignited in flames. _"You bastard."_ Natsu threw punches at him, one after the other, each one intensifying as he put more force into it.

Gray was not able to keep up, overwhelmed by the sudden amplitude of attacks. He held his fists up to cover his face, but the number of hits became too much for him. Erza jumped to her feet, and I grabbed for my keys. We had to end this quick, because it was becoming evident that Natsu was getting stronger.

Gray was knocked to the floor, hitting his body against the pavement. He yelled in agony, but as Natsu came closer to him, Gray flipped onto his stomach and made a magic circle on the ground. "Ice-make: floor!" The ground around him froze into a large slate of ice, causing Natsu to lose his balance. Erza was low to the ground as she darted forward, slashing his feet with her sword, but Natsu was able to jump over her attack and kick her on the head. She fell backward, surprised by the strength in his movements. When he landed on the ground, the ice he stood on cracked, and the heat he emitted melted it into a watery puddle.

Erza and Gray were down, writhing in pain on the ground. I stood up, and it was just him and me. My arm was outstretched with Aquarius' key in my hands, and I pointed it directly to him. We froze there for a second, our eyes interconnected. I was ready to pounce into action, to summon my celestial spirit and attack my comrade with the great forces of water, but I couldn't seem to move. Natsu didn't move either, his eyes instead intensely staring in mine.

Then, the most bizarre thing happened. His eyes softened, the sharp bloodshot pupils rounding into a calmer state. His muscles seemed to relax, and his normal dark eyes began to show its color.

"No. No! I… I won't hurt Lucy…" He softly spoke, grabbing his head with shaking hands. He fell to his knees, vulnerable, as he continued to shake his head. "No, no, no… Yes, I mean no…"

My heart ached at that moment; seeing Natsu mentally breakdown before me was painful. He had to fight through, and I needed to help him. I dashed forward to him and wrapped my arms around his body. With my contact, I felt his body began to shake, tremble in what looked like concentration. I didn't realize how hard Natsu was trying to gain control of his body, and that showed me just how determined he was. I held him closer to my body, whispering words of encouragement. "You can do it. I believe in you."

I noticed the way Natsu reacted when I gave a peaceful approach towards him. It's even the same when I ran to him in the guild; it was as if he let down his guard for a moment, instead creaking open the door of vulnerability. That's when I realized; fighting won't get to him, because that would only anger him even more. What can bring Natsu back is nothing more than friendship, because nothing else can cause someone to relax other than the presence of close friends.

Natsu seemed to calm down after I was near him, but I don't understand why he didn't do the same with Gray or Ezra. Is it because they were attacking him? Why did he calm down only when I was around?

"Come on, Natsu! Fight through this!" I persisted. I went in front of him, grabbing his shoulders so he could face me. I was on my knees as well, leveling with him. He wasn't looking at me, his mind too busy battling with himself. He continued to grab his head, shaking it monotonously.

Gray managed to get to his feet, helping Erza from the ground. They limped over to me cautiously, uneasy towards Natsu's current state. "Lucy, what's happening?" Gray asked, anxiously waiting for an answer.

"It's Natsu! He's fighting through!" I shouted, my gaze switching from the dragon slayer to the ice mage.

Gray bent forward, looking at the defenseless mage that I clung onto. "Gramps should here any minute now, so lets just—"

"Lucy?" A voice croaked, and all of us snapped our heads towards Natsu. His hair was dampened with sweat, and he was breathing heavily.

"NATSU!" I yelped, squeezing him tighter in my arms. I refused to let him go. I refused to lose him again. "Natsu, I'm so glad you're back!"

Gray and Erza, both battered from the fight, managed genuine smiles from seeing their friend back to normal.

Erza lowered her weapon. She knew this was her Natsu, yet she asked him for reassurance; "Natsu, is that really you?"

Natsu looked at his hands, closing and reopening them, before meeting his eyes with Erza's. A soft smile escaped his lips. "I think it is."

Gray smirked. "It's good to have you back, flame-brain. You're are a pain in the butt being the bad guy."

Natsu looked at him, his tired eyes trying to focus. "Shut-up, uh, you idiot."

His response was odd, and I realized then just how tired he was. I nearly forgot how exhausted he looked in the morning. His eyes were half opened, and he was heavily leaning against me. And now that I think of it, fighting to regain his conscious must've drained a lot out of him…

"Natsu!" I gasped. "How are you feeling?! What if you fall back asleep and that monster comes back?" Our problems weren't over, because there is still a possibility that Natsu could become evil again. He fought his way this time, but what if he loses conscious again!?

Natsu shook his head in distress. "I don't know… I still feel that poison inside of me…"

"Don't worry," Erza spoke in a reassuring tone. "Master should be back any minute now."

Natsu smiled, leaning back until he laid on the ground. His hands covered his face, and he slowly shook his head. "The screams, the fear. I felt it all when I lost control. It just felt like I-I couldn't do anything. I was helpless."

I exchanged a worried look with gray and Erza. Poor Natsu, the guilt he is feeling must be overwhelming. I leaned towards him, pushing away wet strands that stuck on his forehead. "It's not your fault. You know that."

Gray spoke up. "If you want to blame anybody, then blame the Wolf Fangs. It's their faults for causing all of this."

"Natsu, they put _poison_ in you," Erza stated, her face stern and solemn. "They tried to manipulate your body to use for against your will. If anything, _you're_ the innocent one here."

"Yeah, but still, it's _my body_ , I should've been able to stop this—"

"And you did. If it wasn't for you, we would've still been fighting your alter." Gray said, his voice firm.

Natsu took a deep breath as he laid there, feeling slightly better about the situation. It seemed that he decided not to persist with the conversation, either because he was physically too tired to hold his ground or because we simply convinced him.

A moment of silence held the air, with the distant noises of shouts and magic. All the fire around us was gone, with the fairy tail mages now focused on making sure everyone in the buildings were safe. A single tear slipped down my cheek as I looked at Natsu's peaceful face. He was focusing on his breathing, one arm still covering his eyes. Gray and Erza sat down next to us, physically drained by the battle. They knew to be on edge, but they couldn't avoid the feeling of tranquility. As I sat there, I couldn't help but wonder: How long can we stay like this before our peace is disrupted?

* * *

 **Please leave a review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow, I really need to step up my game. Once again, I apologize for the long wait! At least, the good news is that Spring Break is around the corner, and that is the perfect time for me to catch up with my writing. Well anyways, here is chapter 10 to Crimson Eyes!**

 **Natsu**

I'm back. I'm me again.

I was able to control my body, something I never thought I'd miss so much. The troubles _he_ made me go through, the things _he_ made me witness; it was painful. I'd never dream of harming my Nakama, yet today, I made so many of them scream in fear.

Now, I can't trust myself, not with that _monster_ in my head. My eyes were closed as I took deep breaths, relaxing my mind. At the moment, it felt empty, with no intruders residing within it.

 _"Hello?"_ I echoed in my mind, trying to see if my alter was still there. No response. As I laid there, I came to realize that I didn't feel rage either, only the calming state of peacefulness. Lucy sat by my side, along with Gray and Erza.

I sluggishly moved my hands from my face, looking up at the blue sky above me. I felt completely drained, even worse than when I was at the guild. It took me a minute to formulate a simple question. "Did… Happy tell you what happened?" My voice was low. It cracked, as if guilt was breaking my words. Lucy looked over to me, her lips tightened in a small smile. "Yeah, Erza made him spill everything."

I looked at Erza, and she flushed red, shaking her head. "Happy didn't want to say anything, so I had to force it out of him." She laughed.

"Ouch," I whispered. "That must've hurt."

Erza's smile faded, and she tightened her jaw. "Natsu, Happy said that you made him promised you not to tell anyone about your situation. Why didn't you want anyone to know about what you were going through?"

Here it comes. The _inquiry_. I slowly sat up, my eyes shifting from Erza to the ground. "It's because… I thought I could handle it myself, so I didn't want anybody to worry…"

"But clearly, you ended up turning evil and worrying us all." Gray blatantly stated. I could feel his eyes boring straight into me.

"I'm sorry, okay?" I snapped, my voice low and sharp. I felt a bit of frustration build up within me, so I took a deep breath. _No negative emotions. We wouldn't want that monster coming back, now do we?_ I spoke softly, yet stuttered. "I know that w-what I did was wrong."

Lucy scooted closer to me, placing her hand on my cheek. She lightly turned my head to face her, where I broke my daze from the ground to meet her eyes. "Natsu, what we are trying to say is that you could always count on us, no matter what the situation is. I'd never want you to suffer through things alone, because you are _not_ alone. You have FairyTail."

There was a warm feeling in my heart, and I appreciated it. I don't know what I'll do without my friends. Without Lucy… "You really know how to make things sentimental." I said, rubbing my eyes.

"Oh, come here, you…" Lucy pulled me into a hug, and Gray leaned over to mess with my hair.

"I'm telling you," He teased. "You can be such an idiot at times."

"Oh, like you're any better, ice princess." I remarked, catching Erza chuckling in the corner of my vision.

The scarlet mage stood up, brushing off her armor. "Come on, let's go help put out the fires."

I pushed off the floor to stand up, and I immediately regretted it. My vision swayed back and forth, and the corners of my eyes began to blacken. "Oh, that's not good…" I mumbled, toppling over.

Gray rushed forward, grabbing my shoulders to prevent me from falling. "Woah, you good Natsu?"

I regained my stability, my hand holding my head. "Hey, uh, what happens if I lose consciousness again?"

Lucy's face contorted into a fearful expression. "Oh no, that wouldn't be good at all…" She wrapped her arm around my waist, and her other hand held mine for steadiness.

Erza walked right in front of me, leaning her face close to mine as she scrutinized my tired features. She took in the dark circles under my cloudy eyes, as well as my slack expression. "Natsu, I'm being honest with you, you look horrible…"

"Well thanks, Erza…"

"I'm serious. You look like you could pass out at any second. And if that happens, your evil alter might resurface." She pulled away, rubbing her chin in concentration as she deliberated.

"What? Do you have a plan?" I asked, my eyes beaming. I'd do anything to not go through that again.

"My only thought is to keep you bound until Master comes with the antidote. In that way, we wouldn't have to worry about retrieving you, if you go rogue of course."

I smiled at the plan, nodding excessively. "Alright… let's do it."

Gray offered his idea. "I've been working on strengthening my ice cage. Wanna use that to keep you in?"

"Won't his alter just melt it?" Lucy asked, contemplating on Gray's logic.

"Whatever, l-let's just get it done with." I slurred. My head was really starting to hurt.

"Natsu!" A deep voice yelled. We all whipped our heads to see a giant-sized man running towards us. As he came closer, he began to shrink until he was only 3-feet tall.

"Gramps?" I questioned, bewildered that he actually made it in time.

Gramps stopped in front of us, panting, before he was able to speak. "Natsu— *huff huff* —there is no time to waste! Porlyusica made the antidote, and we must inject it in order to rid you of the poison!"

I looked at the syringe he held in his hands, the needle easily over 4 inches. I shook my head, slowly backing up. "No, no, no… I-I don't like needles…" I've never needed them before, because with my fire immune system, I never got sick. Now, with one presented before me, with one _pointing_ at me, I didn't know how to react. Fear resided with me, as well and the bubbling feeling of _rage_.

"I-I _hate_ needles. Th-they make me angry…" A torrent of negative emotions washed within me, and my tiredness began to cloud my vision. In my head, within that wave of emotions, red eyes flickered on.

 **Natsu, it seems you should take a break, and let me gain control…**

 **Gray's POV**

"Guys, Natsu's gonna lose it!" Lucy gaped, looking at the fire mage in fear.

He seemed to be in a trance, slowly rocking side to side as one hand clutched his head. His eyes were empty, as if no one was in full control of his body. He slowly blinked, as he continued to repeat the same words. "I hate them… I _hate_ needles, I hate them…"

I stood there in a prepared position, gritting my teeth. Lucy's right, he completely lost it.

Erza whipped her head towards me. "GRAY, NOW!" She ordered. I gave an affirming nod, leaping into action.

"Ice-Make: Prison!" I did a front flip over Gramps and Natsu. My arms were outstretched, forming an ice cage on top of them as I was mid-air. I landed on the ground, looking back to see Gramps and Natsu enclosed from my shield.

Immediately, Lucy and Erza ran to the cage, grabbing the frozen bars in anticipation.

Within the cell, Gramps slowly approached Natsu, careful on his words. "Natsu, take it easy. We are doing this to _help_ you, not to _hurt_ you."

Suddenly, Natsu stopped his mumbling, and his hand slowly released from his head. His eyes were shadowed by his hair, as he stayed looking at the ground.

Gramps smiled, relieved at Natsu calming down. "That's right, now let's just—"

In a split second, Natsu's hand were wrapped around Master's throat, cutting him off from his sentence. Master began wheezing for air, completely shocked from the sudden turn of events.

"Gramps!" I ran to the cage in a panic, clutching on the wall opposite of Lucy and Erza.

Erza eyes widened in fear, and next to her, Lucy leaned against the ice bars, tears flowing from her cheeks. "Natsu!" She sobbed. "Please, don't hurt him!"

Natsu lifted his head, revealing those wretched, crimson eyes, as well as that sadistic smile that was plastered on his face. "Ah, so this is Fairy Tail's master, huh?"

Gramps wheezed in response, clawing at the tight grip around his neck.

Natsu chuckled. "Well, I must say, you truly raised a strong-willed mage. I mean seriously, how stubborn can this Natsu get? His energy is bottomless. It's gonna take a lot to break him." Natsu tossed Gramps to the side, hitting the far end of the cage. He looked around his surroundings, just noticing the large cage that enclosed him. "Oh? Well, this is nice."

We had no time to waste. Erza materialized a small knife in her hand, flinging it through the ice bars of the cage. It snagged onto the fabric of Natsu's vest, pinning him onto the ice bars behind him. Natsu's back was now directly in front of me, so without hesitation, I grabbed both of his hands and held them tightly behind his back.

Gramps got up from the ground, and leaped right into action. With Natsu held down, Gramps darted towards him, the syringe ready in his hands. He jumped forward, digging the 4-inch syringe deeply into his bandaged shoulder. Natsu yelped in agony, before he lifelessly slumped against the wall. His eyes grew heavy, yet their deep red color glared intently into Master's eyes.

"Makarov~" Natsu sang playfully.

Gramps looked at him in anger. "What do you want? You've been _defeated,_ evil one. Now leave my child at once."

Natsu chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, Makarov. You don't understand, do you? This won't be the last time you'll see me. Remember, I am **_rage_**." Natsu lowered his voice to a whisper, where only the two of us could hear him. "I will _always_ be apart of Natsu."

I let go of him, and gramps pulled out the syringe from his shoulder, as well as the dagger Erza threw that pinned Natsu onto the wall. The fire mage slumped to the ground, unconscious, as Gramps and I stood there facing each other, panting.

Gramps and I exchanged fearful looks. Cold sweat dripped from my face, and an unnerving chill went down my spine. Natus's words hung within the air, his last words replaying in my head like a broken record.

 _I will always be apart of Natsu..._ What could he have meant by that?

 **Please like and post a review if you enjoy!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Months later and I finally come up with a final chapter! SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT~**

 **Happy's POV**

It's 4 am, and I can hear Natsu rummaging in the kitchen.

I got out of bed, my tired legs dragging me towards the light switch in the hallway.

I rubbed my eyes as a yawn escaped me, and when I sleepily walked into the kitchen, I found Natsu popping 2 pills in his mouth before shoving the container into his pocket.

"Natsu… are you going on another mission already? You just got back from one last night…"

Natsu looked me, surprised to see me standing there. "Shoot… did I wake you up Happy? Sorry bud…"

I shook my head. "No, you're fine… but you have to take it easy. I mean, you just woke up from you're 3-day coma…"

Natsu looked down, his face written with shame. "I know… but still, I just can't get myself to face my friends after everything that happened…"

I frowned at his statement. I opened my wings and flew right on top of the counter Natsu was facing. It hasn't even been a week since Natsu woke up from his coma, but he's been doing solo missions back to back without rest. "Natsu. Remember that these are your _friends_. They're worried sick about you! Running away from them won't fix any of your problems."

Natsu didn't move his gaze from the floor. He clenched his fists, focusing on his breaths. "I told you about my nightmares, right?"

My eyes widened, surprised at Natsu opening a spot of vulnerability. "No… but I hear you some nights talking in your sleep…"

Natsu chuckled. "Wow, I really must be out of it then."

I studied my best friend, noticing the guilt and pain in his eyes. "What do you see in your nightmares?"

A silent moment passed.

"Fire. Lots of it, too. Not to mention screaming. And pain." Natsu looked at me, our gazes interlocking. Oddly enough, Natsu had a small smile on his face. A small, sad smile, that is.

"And the worst part is, it's you guys that I see in these dreams."

I didn't know what to say. I did not expect to hear that at all. Tears welled up in my eyes, and without thinking, I opened my arms and hugged Natsu's chest. "You don't deserve to be going through this, Natsu."

Natsu was taken aback by the sudden embrace, but he soon returned the hug. "I have to go now, Happy, or else I'll miss my train."

I pulled away from the hug, my face contorted in a sorrow expression. "Can't you just take somebody with you this time? Like me? Or Lucy?"

I noticed Natsu's face brightened at the sound of her name, but his expression quickly subsided. "I just think I need some alone time, actually."

And with that, Natsu pulled on his vest and left.

I stood there on the counter for a moment, thinking over what had just happened. For this past week, I've noticed that he's been distant. He hasn't been coming to the guild lately, only to grab a request and leave. Natsu is now off to another mission, for who knows how long. And he refuses to face any of his friends, which has everyone worried.

Trying to find a solution, I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed my necktie, packed a fish for lunch, and dashed out the door.

 **Lucy's POV**

Sleeping was well over for me when I heard a fist pounding at the window. I drowsily sat up from my bed, annoyance budding inside me. "If that's the blue cat and pink-haired idiot—" _Wait a minute…_

"Natsu!" I chirped, flipping my bed sheets to the side and swinging my legs over. Natsu has rarely been seen ever since he woke up from his coma. It's not like him to act this way, so I've been worried sick about him. Gray says that he just needs some time, but I can't help but think about the worst. It's obvious that he's struggling with something, and whatever it was, he's trying to conquer it all on his own. So if that Natsu at my window…

I ran up to the glass, disappointed to see that it wasn't him. There was a blue cat though, so I quickly opened the window to let him in. "Happy? What's the matter? What are you doing here?"

Happy had his paws on his knees, and he was panting heavily. "Lucy… We have to follow Natsu. W-we're not gonna leave him alone again… Not when he needs us…"

I bent down next to him, brushing back the fur on his head. "What's wrong? Where is Natsu now?"

"He's on his way to the train station… We'll need to hurry in order to catch him! The train will be departing soon!"

A torrent of questions racked in my head, all of them directing to Happy's behavior and Natsu's wellbeing. Why was he so anxious about catching Natsu? _Maybe it's that Happy noticed how distant Natsu has been lately as well, and he wants to go help him before it's too late._

"Alright, alright, I coming!" I was barely able to slide on some slippers before Happy grabbed me by the hand and sped towards the window. I grounded my heels onto the floor, halting myself from being pulled out my window. As if I'll _ever_ do that.

"Happy! Just calm down, will ya? I'll just call for a magical vehicle, and they could take there much faster. And try using my door next time, please?"

I habitually grabbed my celestial keys and ran out through my door. I exited my apartment with nothing more than a messy hairdo, a matching set of pink pajamas, and my keys. After calling for a local driver, Happy and I only had to wait a few moments before a magical vehicle pulled up in front of us. The two of us piled in, giving the driver direct instructions to take us to the train station.

The driver stepped on the gas, and I was able to catch Happy sigh in relief as the car rolled down the streets. We would have definitely not been able to match the speed we were going if we tried to run there. I turned to Happy. "Do you know when his train is leaving?"

Happy shook his head. "No, but I do remember him leaving the house around 4:10. That could mean that he is trying to catch the 4:30 train.

I looked at the time display inside the car. It's 4:22. "Shoot. Then we'll have to hurry."

The ride finally came to an end, as the magical vehicle we were in pulled to a stop in front of the station. I rummaged into my pockets for change to give to our driver, mentally cursing that I forgot to bring any cash. Surprisingly, Happy fished out a few jewels from the pouch in his necktie and shoved it into the driver's face.

"Let's go!" He shouted, dashing out the car. I breathed a quick thank you before following Happy. My attention immediately shifted to the train station, scanning the crowd of tired and sleepy people in order to try and spot the guy we were looking for. My hopes began to diminish as I failed to catch sight of salmon hair, until…

"Natsu!" Happy yelped, dashing towards the train. I whipped my head to him, noticing the young man he was flying towards. It was Natsu, with a small bag over his shoulders as he sauntered onto the train. Natsu stopped his tracks at the sound of his name, and he slowly turned around to see Happy chasing after him. With one foot stepping onto the train, he gradually backed up, placing his foot back onto the pavement.

I took a deep breath, thankful that we caught him in time, before he was able to go off onto another solo mission. Now we can find out what's bothering him…

His eyebrows furrowed, and exchanged looks between both of us. "Happy…" He stated, his voice sounding dangerously low. "I thought I told you that I wanted to go on this mission alone…" I could hear the straining in his words to keep his voice leveled. Natsu walked up to Happy and clutched his necktie, his voice begun to rise as he continued to speak. "So _why_ did you _come_?"

Happy's eyes were open wide, lost for words as he stared at Natsu in fear. "Y-y-your eyes…"

Natsu whipped his head to look at me, and that's when I saw what Happy was staring at. Natsu's eyes held that eerie crimson glow to them, yet it was only a dull light that clouded his onyx color.

 _No… we got rid of that crimson-eyed monster… when Porlyusica made that antidote for Natsu… Why are his eyes red?_

"And you brought Lucy along with you too? What is this, a party?" His voice was laced with malice and disgust, his fist fastening its grip on Happy as his eyes glowered at me.

 _If looks could kill…_

That glare in his eyes; a chilling sensation was sent through my spine. "Natsu?" That was all I could muster, as my whole body felt as if it was frozen in place.

Natsu blinked, and that crimson glow in his eyes quickly vanished. It was as if hearing his name had pulled him back to his normal self. Confusion overtook him, and his furrowed eyebrows raised in realization at what he was doing. Natsu looked at his fist that tightly gripped Happy's necktie in horror, and he quickly released his hand from his friend and backed away. He looked at his hands before glancing up to Happy, and then at me. That wrathful vexation in his eyes were now drowned with fear.

He was trembling.

Before I knew it, I was next to Natsu, one hand on his shoulder and another one rubbing his back. Happy hadn't move from his spot, his terror-filled eyes trained on the shaking dragon slayer that stood before him.

"Hey, hey, are you okay? Natsu, talk to me…"

Natsu was staring back at his hands, his voice sounding off and distant. "Everything w-went red… I don't remember what happened…" He looked up at me, and I was barely able to recognize him. He looked like a scared child. "I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

"No, Natsu, you did nothing wrong."

Natsu collapsed onto his knees, causing a few glances from the crowd. He pulled out a small medication container from his pocket, staring at its scribbled label in disbelief. "These stupid pills were supposed to work… I took them this morning… I was supposed to stay under control…"

I bent down next to him, taking a look at the bottle he held in his hand. Those were the pills Porlyusica gave to him after he woke up from his coma last week. She had turned her antidote into a prescribed medication, and had ordered him to take them every 6 hours in order to keep his emotions in check. So much for that…

Happy had seemed to snap out of his trance, and he slowly approached his closest friend. "Natsu… your alter personality… I thought we—"

"Got rid of that? Yeah, but I think all we really did was strip away it's conscious." His voice sounded somber, dripped and wet with guilt and shame. "The feelings of rage is still there. Even when I have the slightest thought of anger…" He didn't even have to say it. I saw a hint of crimson singed into his eyes. "… I start to lose control…"

Natsu took a deep breath, shoving the container back into his pocket and rubbing his eyes with his hands. "That day I woke up from my coma, Gray tried to pick a fight with me. Of course he ticked me off, but that small feeling twisted into something much worst. I think that's when I lost it." He paused. "I've never seen Gray look at me with such… fear..." With his knees still on the ground, he sat back on his heels. "That's when I decided to keep my distance. I'd never want you guys to look at me the way he did."

 _You didn't want us to see you like this._ "So that's why you've been avoiding us…" I whispered. I wasn't even thinking when I spoke out those words. I wanted to hit myself for how harsh that came across—

He flinched at my words, clearly discomforted by my statement. But soon he relaxed into a small smile. "Heh, I guess you could say I've been avoiding you guys… Sorry if it looks that way…" He looked up from his gaze on the floor, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just didn't want to hurt anyone. It's bad enough that I can't remember what happens when I lose control…"

Happy shook his head, obviously agitated. "No Natsu, it's not _fair_ for you to have to suffer this way. You should be healed right now, spending time with your friends and hanging out at the guild with everyone, _not_ taking pills to keep your emotions in check and trying to avoid us in fear of losing control of yourself. It's just not _fair_."

Natsu looked at Happy with empathetic eyes, before shifting them back to the ground. People stepped around us as they walked into the train, creating their own paths from the blockade we've created. "Don't you think staying with you guys will make things worst? Even if I have to distance myself from everyone, I promise that I'll find a way to fix this."

It was as if I felt a stab at my heart. Why would Natsu see that separating himself will fix things? "No Natsu; I think you mean 'we'."

"Huh?"

"I said that I think you mean 'we', as in, 'we will find a way to fix this.'"

Natsu stared at me, uncertainty written over his face. "Lucy, you know as well as I do that you guys could be at risk if I lose control—"

"Okay," I interrupted, "but do you think that this going to stop us from helping you? We were able to save your butt once from the depths of darkness, so what makes you think that we can't save you again?"

"And we will keep on saving you until you get back to normal. That's what friends are for."

Natsu showed a completely new face of interest, his eyes darting back and forth between me and Happy. It was as if we sparked an old fire in him, one that ran solely on the base of bonds and friendship. A smile cracked his grief-stricken face, and he looked down, his bangs covering his eyes.

The conductor hurried out of the train, looking at the three of us with impatience. "Well? The train is departing. Are you going to board?"

Natsu looked at the man, his signature smile embellished on his face. His eyes were watery, but his smile never wavered. "Nah, it's okay. I think I'm gonna stay."

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! THANK YOU ALL who have read this series! I hope you enjoyed the ending to Crimson Eyes, and please let me know what you thought of it in the review section!**

 **(P.S, here's a quick shoutout to all my reviewers, and Ftfan77! Thanks so much for your support, pal!)**


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